release date: Mar. 9, 2018
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]
producer: Leo Abrahams, Editors
label: Play It Again Sam - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 2. "Hallelujah (So Low)" - 3. "Violence" (live in studio) - 6. "Magazine" - 10. "The Pulse" (Bonus Track) (live)
6th studio album by Editors follows 2½ years after In Dream from 2015 and it features British electronic act Blanck Mass [aka Benjamin John Power]. The title is stylised 'VI OLENCE' with subtle reference to it being the band's sixth album.
Editors used to be one of my favourite post-punk revival bands, but they have always been in a position of potential great bands with the ability to fall flat. And here they very much reflect that position in not being able to choose a stylistic path of their own. They stubble along with post-punk energy, darkwave gloominess, alt-rock attitudes and with both feet planted in a synthpop arena playing with electronics. Despite som fine reviews, this album eludes me as one of the their least successful albums - not quite decided if this or In This Light... from 2009 is the band's real low point.
The title track and "Magazine" are a few tracks to drag in a positive direction - perhaps with the aid of Benjamin Power? - on an album that simply contains too many songs built on familiar compositions and without [enough] new ideas, but that's just an opinion here and now. The album may one day open up as a much better release but as for now, I'm not impressed.
Not really recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]
